


Fic Prompt Fill: - First Encounter on Jakku

by koalathebear



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Missing Scene, One Shot, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Short One Shot, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 22:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5514890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koalathebear/pseuds/koalathebear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Prompt from anon on tumblr:</b> What we saw wasn't Poe's first visit to Jakku. He had to gather intel before finding that map piece and maybe met a little scavenger along the way?</p><p>*</p><p>Just a little scribble in response to the prompt that incorporates some information from the novelisation. I asked people for prompts at <a href="http://koalathebear.tumblr.com/post/135824147166/star-wars-the-force-awakens-fic-prompts">this post</a>.</p><p>Non-shippy.  Just a missing scene ... Spoilers from the movie (of course).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fic Prompt Fill: - First Encounter on Jakku

The New Republic stood on the verge of complete collapse and Leia was alone. At a time when she herself needed support and assistance more than any other, all of the Resistance looked to her for guidance and strength.

 _Luke, I need you …_

There was never any reply, no response from the blackness of the night sky … Her advisors asked her cautiously,"General Organa – perhaps Master Skywalker is … dead … No one has heard of him in so many years …"

"I would know if he was dead. I would know," her voice had been firm and the others had exchanged glances knowingly. The ways of the Jedi and the Force had drifted into legend and become part of the mythos of the old days but they believed Leia for they had seen for themselves the foresight and insight that she possessed that was uncanny. Some might have considered it almost magical.

"I will go and look for him."

The shock of objection on the part of her fellow Resistance leaders could have been heard halfway across the galaxy. Reluctantly, she had conceded to reason. Someone would go in her stead. She could hardly argue that a pilot scouting solo would draw less attention than a Resistance general.

The pilot who had been proposed had an impeccable background. The son of a rebel fighter pilot and a rebel commando, the candidate was a decorated X-wing pilot and a hero in his own right.

"I knew your mother very well, Poe Dameron," she had told the young man with the familiar dark eyes.

The man's visage, framed by dark, thick waves of hair was proud of countenance. Some thought him arrogant but Leia had sensed that he was not arrogant, merely confident in his skills. He wore a worn-down red-and-sand-hued flight jacket that had been with him as long as he had been in the Resistance, rising through its ranks.

Poe had lowered his head deferentially before General Organa – princess, Resistance leader and war hero.

"My brother Luke also knew your mother … " 

Poe nodded. Like manner battle-weary soldiers, his mother had spoken of the war very rarely but his father had often mentioned the Battle of Endor and his mother's mission to retrieve the Force sensitive tree from an Imperial base on Vetine.

Leia closed her eyes momentarily. Poe Dameron's memories early memories were soaked in pain and sorrow. "How old were you when she died?" she asked gently.

"Nine." His mother was but a beautiful memory, strong and kind. His father had never been the same after Shara's death.

"Your record is remarkable, Poe – I hear nothing but praise for your accomplishments."

"Thank you, General," he replied politely. He had heard that the General no longer wished to be referred to by her royal designation, instead adopting her military title.

"Do you accept this mission?" she asked him gently.

"Of course. It is my honour to serve the Resistance," he replied unflinchingly.

Leia nodded, tension suddenly draining from her as she placed her trust in this confident and capable pilot. "May the Force be with you, Commander Dameron," she told him calmly.

*

"No. You need to wait here," Poe said firmly, exasperation in his voice.

The spherical astromech droid made a sound of protest and Poe held up a hand. "We're done talking. No more backchat from you. I need to blend in and it's hard to blend in with _you_ whirring away behind me. I won't be long …"

BB-8 let out a long, withering beep of discontent that was a cross between a burp and a sigh but remained in the back of the X-wing, hidden away behind the wreckage of a large warship. The Starship Graveyard on Jakku was thus named because of the ship wreckage that had accumulated on its dunes … It wasn't just a graveyard of ships, countless lives on both sides had been lost during the battles over Jakku.

Poe gave BB-8 one last reproving glare before turning away to start the long trek into the Niima Outpost.

The sun beat down on his head mercilessly. Jakku's sun was hot enough to bake flatbread without a stove. After the lushness of D'Qar and Yavin 4 the planet of his childhood, Jakku had been something of a rude shock to the system but Poe had made multiple scouting missions to Jakku and the heat no longer seemed quite so oppressive.

Niima was a junkyard settlement. Named for and founded by Niima the Hutt after the Battle of Jakku to capitalise on the new scavenging opportunities the battle created on the planet, it was a place where no one asked questions. A stranger like Poe could walk unnoticed and without attracting undue attention.

A frontier town filled with the discarded refuse of the galaxy, no one even glanced at the tall pilot who walked through the dirty paths that could barely be described as roads. He had left his jacket in his X-wing and instead wore a dirty, faded cloak that allowed him to blend in better with the locals and a sand-coloured cloth across his mouth and nose masked his identity. Glancing to his left, he stared at a community structure that was open to all.

He stood in the doorway of the tented, shaded structure. Inside, scavengers were cleaning junk that had been salvaged from the wrecks lying in the desert. Humans and nonhumans communicated freely, commenting on one another’s findings and exchanging gossip. They ignored him and spoke amongst themselves, disinterested in the human who had no items of interest on his person.

Glancing outside, he saw a clunky, boxy, beat-up speeder pulling up at the settlement. It was battered and rusty. Clearly some work had gone into the speeder though and it had over-and-under twin engines that whirred noisily. He studied the speeder with interest, recognising the bolted on repulsorlifts from an X-wing.

The rider clambered off the speeder lightly. Poe's eyes studied the newcomer. He or she was dressed in light protective goggles with green lenses, face mask, gloves, and grey desert clothing. The brown and sandy-coloured clothing was extremely basic, designed to protect the wearer from the sun and preserve body moisture. It was inexpensive, easily repaired, and rather unlovely. 

He watched the rider unload a heavy pack of salvage from the speeder. Despite the rider's slender frame and the obvious heaviness of its load, no one offered any assistance. Debating with himself, he hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.

The rider stopped abruptly and looked up warily as Poe said,"Here - let me help you with that."

"I'm fine," the rider said in a cold and unfriendly voice. The rider stopped abruptly, pulling the goggles up and the scarf down, revealing the flushed and sweaty face of a young woman. Nearly twenty with dark hair, she had dark eyes that regarded him narrowly with intense suspicion.

She was rather lovely, a stark contrast to the harsh surroundings. The defiant tilt to her head and the bō staff she held with great confidence indicated how she had managed to survive on a backwater world as harsh and unforgiving as Jakku.

"I'm not here to steal your things – just trying to help," he said, stepping back and holding up his hands appeasingly and keeping his voice even.

She exhaled. "Sorry," she replied. "Not everyone's like that – I've had people try to steal my things before."

"I don’t doubt it," he acknowledged. The young woman allowed him to help her carry her heavy pack into the tent and set it down on the only empty bench in sight.

"I _was _hoping that you could help me out with something, though."__

__That elicited a smile from the young woman. "I figured as much," she replied. "What do you need?"_ _

__"Information … Is there anyone around here who is likely to have his or her finger on the pulse?"_ _

__The young woman shrugged. "No one in here that's for sure … we all keep to ourselves – don't even ask for names… we're all just trying to get by."_ _

__He nodded. "Fair enough."_ _

__She frowned for a moment and then pointed in the direction of the exchange booth. "Try over there. In the old cargo crawler you'll see Unkar Plutt's stronghold. He's the junk boss. He's got security monitors, hidden defences ... and he's also got hired thugs who help him keep an eye on what's going on …"_ _

__"Noted."_ _

__"Be prepared to pay though. The Blobfish expects payment for everything," the young woman told him._ _

__"Thank you, you've been very helpful," he told her gratefully._ _

__She reached into her pack and handed him a flask. "Here, take this. You need to drink more water or you're going to end up wrinklier than a Gossam."_ _

__He took the flask from her and started walking towards the door. "What's your name, stranger?" the young woman asked him curiously._ _

__A smile flickered over his firm mouth. "No names, remember?" he told her ruefully._ _

__"Yeah," she acknowledged and watched him leave, conscious of feeling a faint feeling of disappointment._ _

__It had been ... nice to have a conversation with someone … a proper conversation. One that hadn't involved haggling over the price of a piece of scrap. She wondered if she'd ever see the tall stranger again._ _


End file.
